The prevalence of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) virtually demands the use of a mouse or other pointing device in addition to a keyboard. Many types of pointing devices are generally known in the art. A mouse uses a roller ball and rollers for translating X- and Y-axis movement, e.g., via an optical or opto-mechanical mechanism. A mouse will typically have a hand-sized housing and is operated by moving the mouse around on a flat surface such as a desktop or mouse pad. In addition to the mouse, other types of pointing devices such as the trackball and touchpad are known in the art. A trackball is essentially the same as the mouse in terms of design, functionality, and electrical interface, but is used upside down. Rather than moving the entire device, the device is stationary with the roller ball facing upward wherein the ball may be turned with the hand directly. Touchpads are very intuitive pointing devices, employing a flat, rectangular, stationary sensing plane that tracks the X-Y position of a user's finger or stylus on the sensing plane. Touchpads typically employ a grid or matrix of capacitance sensors underneath a protective surface. Touchpads responding to direct pressure, e.g., using layered conductive or resistive sheets, are also known.
In some computing situations, a person may use or otherwise by responsible for managing files on two or more computers. In such instances, the need for transferring data from one computer to another may arise, such as when updating or synchronizing files across multiple computers or when copying and pasting data from one computer to another is desired. Transferring data across multiple computers may be accomplished by networking the computers or by using a floppy disk drive or other removable storage device.
Data can be shared across multiple computers if the computers are networked. One method of networking is a direct cable connection between the serial or parallel ports of two computers. This, however, requires a specialized cable and ties up a serial or parallel port on the computers. Another method of connecting multiple computers is through the use of network adapter cards. However, network adapter cards require installation and an available bus slot.
Data may also be shared across multiple computers through the use of removable storage media. For example, the majority of computers have a floppy disk drive. However, the capacity of floppy disks is limited and may be insufficient for large files, such as graphics files. Also, the data transfer rate may be less than desirable. Transferring files on floppy disks may require the use of additional software applications, for example, to compress files or to enable large files to be written across and read from multiple floppy disks. Large capacity removable media are also known, however, their use requires that each computer be equipped with the appropriate drive. External drives are also known, however, the entire drive and any power supply must be moved from computer to computer.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a device that provides pointer control input and also allows the transfer of data across multiple computers in a manner that is more convenient than using removable storage media and without requiring a network.